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Biomedical subjects

N Kawabata

Publications and source records attributed to N Kawabata.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Disambiguating ambiguous figures by a model of selective attention.

Ambiguous figures are visual stimuli which are interpreted multiply by the human visual system. A model is proposed which disambiguates the ambiguous figures. The model was formulated based on the characteristics of visual information processing, accompanied with selective attention. In the ambiguous figure "my husband and my father-in-law", it was necessary to simulate visual information processing so that attention was directed to the multiple features in the figure to disambiguate the ambiguous figure. Pictures, obtained from the model, were examined as to whether they were interpreted unambiguously or not. Results show that the model, simulated selective attention, can disambiguate the ambiguous figures. This suggests that the image per se, viewed through selective attention, becomes unambiguous before the figure is interpreted in the higher level. Results also show that the computer simulation of selective attention would make it possible to examine factors affecting the initial interpretation of the figure.

Attention↗
PubMed1992

Removal of micro-organisms by filtration through unwoven cloth coated with a pyridinium-type polymer.

Unwoven cloth coated with 32 mg/g of a copolymer of N-benzyl-4-vinyl-pyridinium chloride and styrene was found to be effective in removing micro-organisms from water. In experiments demonstrating removal of Escherichia coli by filtration through ten sheets of the unwoven cloth, the rate of removal was 99.99% at a filtration rate of 2.6 cm/h, and remained at 99% even at a high filtration rate of 300 cm/h and a low influent concentration of the bacterial cells such as 10(3) cells/ml. The rate of removal tended to increase with a decrease in the influent bacterial concentration. Seven other bacteria and two yeasts were effectively removed by filtration through the unwoven cloth. Filtration through the unwoven cloth was also effective in removing spores of fungi from water but was not very effective in removing bacteriophage T4 from aqueous solution.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1992

Three-dimensional interpretation of quadrilaterals.

The three-dimensional interpretation of two-dimensional images was studied by using quadrilateral patterns, and some relationships between their structure, depth, and shape interpretations were analyzed under various viewing conditions. We defined rectangular and nonrectangular viewing conditions as follows: the viewing condition in which the quadrilateral, including parallel sides, could be a projection from a rectangle and the viewing condition in which it could not be so. For 9 subjects, 10 measurements were made in each experiment. Analysis showed that a pair of parallel sides of a quadrilateral were viewed as parallel to the viewer's forehead when the sides were horizontal in the image plane and were seen as slanting in depth if they were slanted in the image plane. The quadrilateral composed of parallel and nonparallel sides was perceived as rectangular when viewed with foveal vision even though under the nonrectangular viewing condition, if that viewing condition was not so different from the rectangular viewing condition. The quadrilateral did not appear to be rectangular when viewed in peripheral vision even though the rectangular viewing condition was used.

Attention↗
PubMed1991

Purification and characterization of a new NAD(+)-dependent enzyme, L-tartrate decarboxylase, from Pseudomonas sp. group Ve-2.

A new enzyme, L-tartrate decarboxylase, was found in cells of Pseudomonas sp. group Ve-2. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized. The enzyme requires K+, Mg2+, and NAD+ for L-tartrate decarboxylation. The dependence of the enzymatic decarboxylation on NAD+ suggests that the decarboxylation involves redox reactions of the substrate. The enzyme catalyzes NAD(+)-linked oxidative decarboxylation of D-malate as well. The enzyme is composed of four subunits with identical molecular weight (Mr 40,000). The apparent Michaelis constants for L-tartrate and NAD+ are 1.1 mM, respectively. The cofactor requirements and the physical properties of the enzyme were similar to those of L-tartrate dehydrogenase-D-malate dehydrogenase from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides, and tartrate dehydrogenase from P. putida.

Carboxy-Lyases↗
PubMed1991

Use of monoclonal antibodies against Rickettsia tsutsugamushi Kawasaki for serodiagnosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Rickettsia tsutsugamushi Kawasaki were prepared. The crossreactivity tests of the MAbs performed by using antigenically distinct strains of R. tsutsugamushi in immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analyses indicated that the Kawasaki strain contains a strain-specific epitope and also contains a common epitope on the 56-kDa polypeptide cross-reactive with the Gilliam strain, group- and subgroup-specific epitopes on the 46-kDa polypeptide, and a subgroup-specific epitope on the 25-kDa polypeptide. By using the strain-specific MAb for serodiagnosis of tsutsugamushi disease (or scrub typhus fever), we have established a method which was designated the inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The principle of the method is to measure the percentage of inhibition of antigen absorption on a MAb-coated plate by antibody-positive sample sera which were mixed with the antigen suspension. The advantages of this test for practical use are that (i) crude antigen can be used, i.e., purification of the antigen is not required; (ii) the test is more sensitive than immunofluorescence; (iii) the final judgment of plus or minus is clear-cut; and (iv) rickettsial antigenic types in the patients can be distinguished by this test.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1991

Effect of L-cysteine on plasma concentration and urinary excretion of 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil metabolites.

Effects of L-cysteine (CySH) on the plasma concentrations and the urinary excretion of 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil (FT) and its metabolites were studied by high performance liquid chromatography in rats. Significantly higher plasma concentrations of FT, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cis-4'-OH-FT were obtained after an oral administration of FT (500 mg/kg) combined orally with CySH (500 mg/kg) when compared to FT alone. The urinary excretions of 5-FU, trans-3'-OH-FT, cis-4'-OH-FT, trans-4'-OH-FT and 4',5'-dehydro-FT significantly decreased up to 12 h but that of alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine significantly increased up to 24 h by the combined administration of CySH. Furthermore, the plasma concentration of 5-FU significantly increased at 0.5 h and its urinary excretion significantly decreased up to 4 h after an intraperitoneal administration of 5-FU (10 mg/kg) combined orally with CySH (500 mg/kg) when compared to 5-FU alone. The urinary pH significantly changed to acidic and the urinary volume significantly increased by the combined administration of CySH, so it was thought that the reabsorption of 5-FU through renal tubules from urine could increase and the increment of the urinary excretion of alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine was caused by this. Then it was suggested that the increase of the plasma concentrations of 5-FU and cis-4'-OH-FT could be attributed to the decrease of their urinary excretions after an administration of FT combined with CySH when compared to FT alone.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Removal of pathogenic human viruses by insoluble pyridinium-type resin.

Cross-linked poly(N-benzyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide) (BVP resin) was found to be very efficient in removing pathogenic human viruses from aqueous solution. In batch removal experiments using 50 g/l of BVP resin at 35 degrees C, the level of infectivity in suspensions of enterovirus, herpes simplex virus, poliovirus, and human immunodeficiency virus was reduced 1000-100,000 fold during a 2 h period. Those of coxsackievirus and echovirus were reduced 60-600 fold during 1 h contact. The haemagglutination titres of solutions of human rotavirus, influenza virus, human adenovirus, and Japanese encephalitis virus were reduced 16-256 fold during 30 min of contact. In removal experiments by a continuous flow column method for poliovirus, enterovirus, and coxsackievirus with initial infectivities of less than 10(5)/ml, the infectivity of these viruses was no longer detectable in the effluent solution. For poliovirus, coxsackievirus, and echovirus with initial infectivities higher than 10(6), 99.8-99.9998% of the input viruses was removed as indicated by the reduction of infectivity.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1990

Structural information processing in peripheral vision.

Structural visual information processing was investigated in peripheral vision. Perceptual completion, as observed at the blind spot, occurred across a vertical blank stripe in a test pattern, presented in the peripheral visual field. That is, a shape, organized by structural processing, was perceived under critical visual conditions when it was presented in peripheral vision. The results indicate that structural processing, as indicated by perceptual completion, occurs in the peripheral visual information handling process. The results suggest that structural processing of shape information is built into the peripheral visual system and reduces the information load on the higher visual processes under conditions in which visual information is not adequate.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of L-cysteine on distribution volume of 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil.

Higher plasma concentrations of 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil (FT) were obtained after administration of FT (100 mg/kg, i.v.) combined with L-cysteine (CySH, 500 mg/kg, p.o.). The volume of distribution (Vd) and body fluid volumes significantly decreased. These results suggest that the increase of the plasma concentrations of FT can be attributed to the decrease of the Vd of FT, which is considered to be based on the decrease of body fluid volumes by the combined administration of CySH.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsia antibody in Apodemus speciosus captured in an endemic focus in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Fourteen of Apodemus speciosus (large Japanese field mouse) were captured near the place where one of the patients with spotted fever group rickettsiosis had been infected, in Takaoka town, Miyazaki Prefecture. In the town, four human cases were reported. All of the mice had antibodies against Rickettsia japonica and R. montana. The incidence of the antibody was significantly higher in Apodemus mice in the area than in those from nonendemic area.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Antigenic types of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi isolated from patients with tsutsugamushi fever and their distribution in Miyazaki Prefecture].

Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (Rt) isolated from patients with tsutsugamushi fever were examined for their antigenicity. This was done by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) with guinea pig antisera against three standard strains (Karp, Kato and Gilliam) and two local strains (Kawasaki and Kuroki) isolated in 1981, and with mouse monoclonal antibodies against the three standard strains. In the meantime, antibodies in sera from 317 out of 442 patients registered during 1985 to 1988 were titrated by IIF with those five Rt strains. 1) Local isolates, Kawasaki and Kuroki strains, reacted most effectively with the homologous antiserum, respectively, showing four fold lower IIF titers against the heterologous antisera. 2) Kawasaki strain reacted with none of the monoclonal antibodies, whereas Kuroki strain showed a slight reaction with anti-Karp and anti-Kato, but not anti-Gilliam, monoclonal antibodies. 3) Seventeen out of 27 strains isolated in 1985 resembled the Kawasaki strain in their reaction patterns with the antisera and monoclonal antibodies, and the other 10 strains showed reactivity similar to the Kuroki strain. 4) Sera of 233 (74%) out of 317 patients showed the highest antibody titers against the Kawasaki strain and 69 (22%) of 317 against the Kuroki strain. It is thus evident that Kawasaki and Kuroki strains are antigenically different from the standard strains, and Kawasaki and Kuroki strains also differ from each other. It is suggested that two antigenic types (Kawasaki and Kuroki) of Rt were distributed in Miyazaki Prefecture, Rt of the Kawasaki type slightly dominates Rt of the Kuroki type, and recent tsutsugamushi fever has been caused by either one or the other type of Rt.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

Silent myocardial ischemia during Holter monitoring in ischemic heart disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and characteristics of silent myocardial ischemia in patients with proven ischemic heart disease using ambulatory ECG monitoring, and to clarify possible mechanisms for the absence of symptoms during these attacks. A total of 182 patients, including 78 patients with stable effort angina (EA), 12 with unstable angina (UA), and 92 with prior myocardial infarction (MI), were examined. During daily activities, 43% and 56% of all transient ST-segment depression observed was asymptomatic in patients with EA and MI, respectively. In addition, 74% of all ischemic episodes were asymptomatic in patients with UA. In patients with EA, 35% exhibited both symptomatic and asymptomatic attacks, and the duration and magnitude of ST-segment depression were greater for symptomatic attacks than for asymptomatic attacks. On the other hand, in patients with MI, 55% had only asymptomatic attacks. When asymptomatic episodes in patients who had only asymptomatic attacks were compared with symptomatic episodes in patients who had only symptomatic attacks, asymptomatic episodes tended to be associated with a greater magnitude of ST depression. They were also significantly longer in duration than the symptomatic episodes. All patients with UA had both symptomatic and asymptomatic episodes, and the magnitude and duration were significantly greater during the former. These results lead us to conclude that: (1) silent myocardial ischemia is observed frequently in patients with EA and MI during daily activities. In particular, patients with MI tend to have more severe silent ischemia. (2) In patients with EA and UA, the severity of ischemia is a fundamental factor in determining the presence or absence of pain during an ischemic attack.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

[Effects of flutropium bromide, a new antiasthma drug, with repeated administration on bronchomotor response and hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes].

Effects of flutropium bromide, a new antiasthma drug possessing the quarternary ammonium structure of atropine derivatives, were investigated on the bronchodilatory activity with repeated inhalations in guinea pigs and on the hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities with repeated i.v. administration in rats. Single inhalation of flutropium bromide (0.03%) inhibited the ACh-induced bronchoconstriction without changing the fall in blood pressure induced by ACh. Flutropium bromide (0.03%) was inhaled for 5 min a day by placing the animal in an inhalation box, successively during periods of 14 and 28 days. The bronchodilatory effect of flutropium bromide after 14- or 28-day repeated inhalations was almost the same potency as that after single inhalation. Twenty-eight-day repeated inhalations did not change the body weight curve in guinea pigs; and in addition, 14-day repeated i.v. administration did not change the hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities in rats. From the above results, it is indicated that flutropium bromide causes neither reduction in response nor cumulative effect after repeated inhalations, and that the agent maintains the bronchodilatory effect without change in the hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1988

Antibacterial activity of soluble pyridinium-type polymers.

Cross-linked poly(N-benzyl-4-vinylpyridinium halide) (designated insoluble BVP) was previously reported to capture bacterial cells alive by contact with them. The corresponding linear polymer poly(N-benzyl-4-vinylpyridinium salt) (designated soluble BVP) was found to exhibit antibacterial activity. This soluble pyridinium-type polymer showed strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria, whereas it was less active against gram-negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity of this cationic, polymeric disinfectant was considerably greater than that of the corresponding monomeric compound and was approximately equal to that of conventional disinfectants such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorohexidine.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1987

Evidence for infection caused by spotted fever group Rickettsia in Kyushu, Japan.

Of 50 cases that gave negative immunofluorescence reaction with Rickettsia tsutsugamushi among patients with suspected tsutsugamushi disease encountered in Miyazaki Prefecture during the last four years, three showed a significant rise in the antibody titer to Rickettsia montana, a species of spotted fever group. This paper reports evidence for the occurrence of the rickettsial infection of the spotted fever group in Kyushu, Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Attention and depth perception.

The Necker cube is a line drawing with two possible solutions in depth perception. The process of interpreting a two-dimensional line drawing as a three-dimensional object was investigated using the Necker cube. Attention was directed to a local feature of a briefly presented cube, ie an angle at a vertex. The attended angle was perceived as a front part of the cube and other parts were interpreted so as to match this interpretation. Results show that the local feature to which attention was directed was interpreted first and then global features and other local features were interpreted so as to agree with the local feature interpreted initially. This suggests that the three-dimensional interpretation of the line drawing was made sequentially from the local feature to global structures.

Attention↗
PubMed1986

Immunological properties of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, Kawasaki strain, isolated from a patient in Kyushu.

Nine isolates of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi were obtained from patients with Tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu. Immunological analyses of these patients' sera and the isolates were performed by indirect immunofluorescence, indirect immunoperoxidase or immunoblotting techniques. In the analysis of reactions of the patients' sera with the prototype strains Gilliam, Karp, and Kato and with the isolates, sera from two patients, including Kawasaki, showed similar profiles and cross-reaction with the two isolates recovered from the corresponding patients, but reacted only weakly with the prototype strains. With guinea pig polyclonal antibodies against the isolate and prototype strains, Kawasaki strain showed some degree of cross-reaction with Gilliam strain but not with either Karp or Kato strain, nor with Shimokoshi strain which is known to be different antigenically from the prototype strains. Additionally, strain-specific murine monoclonal antibodies against Gilliam, Karp, and Kato strains did not react at all with Kawasaki strain. These results suggest that the Kawasaki strain may be different antigenically from the prototype strains and Shimokoshi strain. The finding two strains of the same antigenic type (Kawasaki) among only nine isolates suggests the presence of Kawasaki-type rickettsiae in Miyazaki Prefecture. Shimokoshi strain also did not react with these strain-specific monoclonal antibodies, suggesting that strains of R. tsutsugamushi antigenically distinct from the prototype strains, such as Kawasaki and Shimokoshi strains, may easily be recognized by their nonreactivity with these monoclonal antibodies.

Animals↗